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I had the blinding epiphany today, after trying out some white graphite transfer paper (Royal Langnickel which is the best name) that instead of squinting to see lead pencil lines on black paper, I could have been using a white pencil this whole time.

This isn’t a complete conversion: the lines aren’t as fine and don’t erase (whatever Royal Langnickel claims about kneadable erasers), so it’s only really good for designs that are fully developed before I transfer them to the paper – direct composition will still be pencil.

Like this:

Playing around with straight digital drawing here for Illustration Friday. I prefer to draw by hand but it’s good to practice some stylus control occasionally and learn (and abuse) some unfamiliar techniques.

This one started with the steam–> tea association, too, and got here via samovars.

First I tried to draw them without reference, but it turned out I was a bit hazy on which parts were raised and which lowered, and started evolving a sort of hairy bison-pig.

Reference didn’t necessarily help that much. They have those weird elephant knees and feet (why do elephants paint their toenails red?) which make them look a bit like two men in a hide.

Then it trended a bit violent with the hedgehog mafia (not show) but I pulled a Spielberg and turned their guns into icecream cones, and after that it was all inevitable, really.

I drew the final image digitally, and while I like it I prefer the weight of hand-drawn lines. I may rework the image at some point, but in the meantime it is up on Redbubble on some t-shirts and as stickers for summer.

In which I endeavour to learn my way around Inkscape by way of Harry Potter fanart. Specifically young, mod McGonagall.

This began as a pen and ink drawing, which I may yet colour with watercolour. I don’t plan to use vector programs much more than I do at present (mostly for cleaning up lines), but there are always techniques it will be useful to know in case of future emergencies (this PSA brought to you by past emergencies).